MightyRecruiterChefs are responsible for handling all food-related concerns and taking care of all food preparation needs at restaurants or any other places where food is regularly served. They may be required to cook, bake and prepare predetermined menu items on a daily basis, or they may be asked to come up with new menu ideas and develop delicious dishes.
It is important to highlight the ideal qualifications you want from a chef in the skills and qualifications section of your chef job description. For example, if you want your chef to have specific training from a culinary arts school or four-year college, be sure to specify this in your job description.
Chefs should be able to work well and keep their cool in a fast-paced work environment. For more details about what goes into a great chef job description, consult the example below.
Chef Job Summary
As a chef at our popular restaurant, you’ll have the opportunity to create a stunning selection of diverse menu items for our customers. You’ll be able to put your skills to good use creating masterful dishes for lunch and dinner, as well as mouthwatering desserts and appetizers. You will enjoy working with and receiving assistance from a remarkable team of waiters, waitresses and other supporting staff members who will help you make and deliver meals to guests promptly. This job is the perfect fit for those who want to develop their skills and work in a reputable restaurant with a loyal following. If you want to take your skills and talents to the next level, come speak with us today!
Job Responsibilities
- Direct, prepare or supervise cooking and other food preparation activities on a daily basis
- Monitor and oversee sanitation practices to ensure that regulations and standards of cleanliness are always being strictly adhered to by employees. Make corrections or terminate employees as needed when standards are not being followed
- Coordinate all food purchasing, budgeting and planning operations with other staff members
- Analyze recipes and make menu changes when necessary to keep customers happy and to minimize overhead costs when possible
- Meet with customers as needed to arrange menu items and negotiate prices for catering weddings, banquets and other special occasions
- Inspect cooking equipment, supplies, work areas and ingredients to ensure constant conformance to regulatory standards
- Determine when additional help is needed to maintain satisfactory service, then recruit, interview and hire staff when needed, including kitchen workers and cooks
- Establish production and staff schedules to ensure that there is sufficient help at all times to ensure timely delivery of food services
Job Skills & Qualifications
Reqiured:
- Knowledge of food-related curriculum and training techniques
- Understanding of raw materials, quality control and other techniques for the effective creation and distribution of food products
- Excellent customer service skills
- Knowledge of food preparation regulations and standards
- Ability to use common kitchen tools, including cutlery, graters and ranges
Preferred:
- High school diploma
- Familiarity with analytical food and menu preparation software
Chef Job Responsibilities
A restaurant menu with descriptions of food that truly engage the senses can entice people to come inside. In the same way, your chef job description must also engage and entice jobseekers. More specifically, the job responsibilities section of a job posting gives potential applicants a feel for what their day-to-day life would be like in the position, so it is crucial to write it well and catch the attention of the candidate you want.
You want jobseekers to grasp the expectations and duties of the job at a glance. To do this, use bullet points. You should include at least six, but no more than eight, to make sure that you are giving a complete picture of the job without overwhelming applicants. Start each bullet point with a present-tense action verb so that candidates can begin to envision themselves in the role. Since a chef position can encompass a wide range of duties, from menu preparation to hiring and firing employees, make sure to include examples that cover any or all of those functions in your chef job description.
Below are some examples of chef job responsibilities you may want to consider:
- Handle all aspects of BOH as manager
- Supervise and manage kitchen staff, including scheduling
- Order food supplies and track inventory
- Plan menus and develop new recipes as required
Chef Job Specifications
As previously mentioned, the range of possible job responsibilities for a chef is vast. This means that the experience the position requires can also be quite broad. To ensure that you attract applicants with the skillset you desire, carefully craft the qualifications and skills section of your chef job description to be precise. If possible, have a hiring manager or review team read through this portion before posting.
The most essential aspect of the specifications is which skills and experiences you require, versus which you prefer but are not necessary. If you mistakenly communicate that a desired skill is actually essential, or vice versa, this miscue could counter-productively affect your pool of applicants. Since clarity is so important here, this section is another component of your chef job description where bullet points serve you well. Make two lists of the specifications you are looking for, one for essentials and one for optional skills. Arrange each in a hierarchical order from most important to least important, and make sure that the list is thorough but not intimidating.
A few examples of possible chef job specifications are as follows:
- Must be able to multi-task and work efficiently in fast-paced environment
- Experience hiring and training sous chef and other kitchen staff required
- Associate’s degree in culinary field preferred
- Proven creativity in menu planning and recipe creation
